Atmos Energy Corporation vs Lamb Weston Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Atmos Energy Corporation trades at $169.76 (market cap $28.59B), while Lamb Weston Holdings Inc trades at $53.14 (market cap $7.23B). The key difference: Atmos Energy Corporation is far larger — about 4× Lamb Weston Holdings Inc's market cap, and Lamb Weston Holdings Inc pays the higher dividend (2.89%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ATO | LW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $28.59B | $7.23B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $192.25 | $66.57 |
52-Week Low | $162.44 | $38.48 |
Enterprise Value | $38.40B | $11.10B |
Dividend Yield | 2.36% | 2.89% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Atmos Energy (ATO) trades at $169.68, up 1.05% today, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamentals including a 28.5% net income margin and consistent dividend payments. Recent Q3 2026 earnings beat estimates with EPS of $1.43 versus $1.35 expected, and the company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance. The stock shows neutral oscillators but bearish moving averages, with key support at $168.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is a Buy with a $190.57 price target, but technical indicators suggest near-term caution. Risks include high capital expenditures impacting cash flow and interest rate sensitivity. Upside potential hinges on execution of rate hikes and infrastructure investments, while downside risks involve regulatory changes and economic slowdowns.
Lamb Weston (LW) trades at $53.04, up 2.37% today, near its consensus price target of $53.86. The stock shows a bullish technical trend with consistent earnings beats in recent quarters, including Q2 2026 EPS of $0.87 versus $0.626 expected. Revenue reached $6.45 billion in 2025, though net income margin declined to 4.39%. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 31.58% buy ratings, while institutional investors like Dimensional Fund Advisors increased holdings by 28.1% in Q1 2026 (SEC filing, 2026-07-29).
The outlook is cautiously optimistic given operational improvements and cost savings, but risks include international demand pressures and elevated costs. The stock offers a 3.1% dividend yield, with fiscal 2027 guidance projecting 1%-2% sales growth. Further upside depends on sustaining North American volume growth and margin stabilization amid macroeconomic headwinds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Atmos Energy is the largest publicly traded, fully regulated, pure-play natural gas utility in the United States, serving more than 3 million customers in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. About two thirds of its earnings come from Texas, where it distributes natural gas in northern Texas and owns an intrastate gas pipeline spanning several key shale gas formations and interconnected with five storage facilities.
Read more on ATO →Lamb Weston is the world's second-largest producer of branded and private-label frozen potato products, such as French fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, diced potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, and chips. The company also has a small appetizer business that produces onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and cheese curds. Including joint ventures, 63% of fiscal 2022 revenue was U.S.-based, with the remainder stemming from Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, and several other countries. Lamb Weston's customer mix is estimated 58% quick-serve restaurants, 19% full-service restaurants, 8% other food services (hotels, commercial cafeterias, arenas, schools), and 16% retail. Lamb Weston became an independent company in 2016 when it was spun off from Conagra.
Read more on LW →